A fraudster tricked a Sheffield mum-of-three out of thousands of pounds of savings with the promise of making money from antique coins.

Diana Turner, aged 50, of Ecclesfield, was one of two people conned out of thousands of pounds by Steven Burkinshaw.

Burkinshaw, aged 63, of Oak Lodge Road, High Green, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation at Sheffield Crown Court.

He conned Ms Turner and another man out of a total of £8,700 using the antique coin scam.

Mum-of-three Ms Turner said after the case she first became interested in the coins when she was approached by someone in 2011 who knew Burkinshaw.

She was told she could make money from investing in buying and selling the coins.

She then used thousands of pounds of savings held in her eight-year-old daughter’s name to pay for the coins – but the return on her investment never materialised.

Ms Turner said: “He told me it was going through an auction and he had a buyer in York. It seemed legitimate.

Ms Turner, who suffers from fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body, said she was told after she handed over her cash she could pick up the return on her investment from a third party at an M1 service station.

But when that fell through, she went to confront Burkinshaw.

“I got a phone call to say the man had been done for drink driving and would not be there after all.

“After that, I went to his house and took him to the police station,” Ms Turner said.

“He has made us all look stupid – that’s the most degrading bit.

“Normally I wouldn’t ever fall for something like this.”

The Judge Recorder Kate Tulk told Burkinshaw: “You told people that there were antique coins that you could buy and sell at a profit and it was presented as easy money to be made.

“Unfortunately it is an example of that old adage, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Burkinshaw was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with a nine-month curfew at his home from 8pm to 6am.

Ms Turner said she believed Burkinshaw deserved a tougher sentence for his con.

She said: “Staying in at night to watch the soaps, and no court fees – that’s not justice.”